Throwing the fit club challenge to Kaurs

It's not always easy for a

turbaned Sikh

in the Western world. And,

Beant Kaur

, or KaurStrength as she is known as, is a turbaned Sikh woman who ventured into the fitness field to share the benefits of holistic health and daily exercise.

The family of this Vancouver-born woman is originally from Moga in Punjab but moved to Canada in 1968.

She's been a fitness freak right from childhood. “I grew up with two older brothers who were always very active and into sports. During childhood, I was always outside playing with my brothers and never let the fact that I was a girl get in the way of trying to compete with them. I was in the high school basketball team for four years.During university, my brothers introduced me to weight training and I joined a Muay ThaiMMA gym, where I learned how to fight and defend myself. This progressed to Olympic style weightlifting and I have continued this journey since. I truly enjoy the challenges that come with weightlifting which enables me to evolve both physically and mentally and stay disciplined in my workout regimen.“

Beant says the history of the amazing

Sikh warriors

also played a huge part in inspiring her to pursue physical fitness.

She feels wearing a turban is a duty bestowed upon her. “I experience a sense of responsibility because I am wearing the guru's crown, the Dastaar.But on social media, I have to be conscious of my content and how I portray myself as I am aware that the Dastaar comes with values that are directly connected to Sikhi and these make me who I am. I receive messages from women all over the world on how I have helped or inspired them into making better lifestyle choices and that is a byproduct of me sharing my journey on social media.“

Her work has taken her on global travels and KaurStrength Fit Camp and

KaurStrength Fit Club

were established to empower other Sikh women to change their lifestyle. “Just a few weeks ago I was invited to California and

England

to attend Sikh camps for the youth where I discussed how a healthy lifestyle can empower us as individuals and as a community .I have developed many friendships and gained many opportunities to give back to my community.“

However, she also runs into negativity. “For the most part I just laugh it off ...I remain focused on my goals and vision as I know how important the message of living an empowered, healthy and fit lifestyle is.“

She can't emphasise enough on the importance of visibility of women in the fitness sector. “I think women in general tend to gravitate towards traditional careers and academic routes...I actually get messages from Punjabi women whose families actually discourage them from working out and want them to focus on house work. Exercise is a great tool to empower oneself, once you empower yourself, you can empower the world.“

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